


silent treatment

by chiasmus



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Friendship, Gen, Puppy Love, X-Men First Class Kink Meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-21
Updated: 2011-07-21
Packaged: 2017-10-21 15:32:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/226744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiasmus/pseuds/chiasmus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tiny!Charles and Erik get into an argument at the beach. It goes downhill from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	silent treatment

**Author's Note:**

> This is a kink meme fill for [this prompt](http://1stclass-kink.livejournal.com/6527.html?thread=11329407#t11329407): Charles/Erik Picture prompt Unconditional love.

It's a Sunday afternoon towards the end of April when Erik and Charles get into an argument over whether sharks or otters are better while they're at the beach.

Erik makes the case for sharks, because they are clearly superior when it comes to survival and overall cool factor – just look at their _teeth_ – but Charles tries to insist that otters are the best, because they know what a rock is. That isn't how Charles phrases it – he points out something about tools and cleverness – but that's what Erik takes away from it. The argument ends when Erik points out that a shark could very easily eat three of Charles' otters if it wanted to, and Charles looks at him horrified. Erik feels bad, though he knows he shouldn't since it's just nature, but he stalks over to where some of the other kids are going to start playing soccer.

Charles lets him go without trying to stop him, which hurts Erik's feelings a little, which in turn makes him mad.

They're split into two teams. It's Erik, Angel, Janos, Azazel, and Raven against Moira, Alex, Darwin, Sean, and Hank. He looks over to where Charles seems to have started building something in the sand, even still considers asking him to join them, but ultimately doesn't.

The game gets underway, and even though it's just for fun, Erik's already angry and his competitive side easily takes over. He's the team's striker, of course, which means he ends up facing off against Moira, the other team's keeper, though there's only a very loose definition of what qualifies as the goal line. Erik is good, but, annoyingly, so is Moira. They seem to be the only two giving any actual thought to playing: partway through Sean and Angel decide to find bread to feed the seagulls, Hank and Raven start collecting shells, and everyone else seems to have noticed the aggressive way Erik's playing and opted to not get directly in his way.

It comes down to Erik basically kicking the ball at Moira, and Moira catching the ball and throwing it as far down the opposite end of the beach that she can and hoping that Darwin can get to the ball before Alex, since Alex has terrible aim. Erik keeps stealing the ball back easily, though, so it's mostly the first part that gets repeated. This is, to some degree, adding to his frustration, and one time he rather viciously kicks the ball as hard as he can at Moira, but it goes too high and straight towards –

– Charles! Erik realizes with alarm, but before he can call out a warning the ball has managed to take out part of whatever sand thing Charles was working on. Erik runs over anyway to make sure Charles is all right – he doesn't seem to have been hit, luckily – only to get there in time for Charles to round on him angrily.

“You did that on purpose!” Charles exclaims, pointing to his half-demolished sandcastle.

“It was an accident!” Erik feels suddenly defensive. “It was Moira's fault, since she's the one who didn't catch the ball.”

Charles shakes his head, frowning at Erik. “No, it was _your_ fault, Erik. You weren't being careful.”

The accusation stings, especially since Erik feels it's undeserved, and if Charles is going to blame him like that, he might as well give Charles a reason to. Erik takes a step and kicks over the previously undamaged half of Charles' sandcastle. “ _That_ was on purpose.”

Erik then turns and hurries away before Charles has a chance to say anything further, and so he doesn't have to see the hurt look on his friend's face.

–

The next day in class Erik takes his seat at his desk next to Charles'. He's had the whole night to feel guilty now, but he's hoping Charles will forgive him, even though Erik's bad at apologizing and probably won't.

Charles shows up shortly after, but before Erik can say any kind of greeting Charles holds out a folded piece of paper, waiting for Erik to take it before he sits down, avoiding Erik's gaze. Erik reads the note and feels his heart sink:

“Im angry at you and im not talking to you today and tommorow.

“P.S all day

“P.S.S I still love you.”

The part at the end is reassuring, but the rest of it decidedly isn't. Charles hasn't ever refused to talk to him before, and so he knows that Charles must _really_ be angry. Still, Erik makes a few failed attempts at conversation just to make sure that Charles is serious. Charles still acknowledges him, but he has a disappointed look about him that somehow makes _everything_ worse.

By midday, Erik feels a little lost and uncharacteristically unsure of himself. He ends up sitting with Azazel and Janos at lunch, and Charles joins Moira. If he tries, he can hear the intonation of Charles' voice as he talks to Moira, even if Erik can't make out the exact words of what he's saying. It's completely unfair, and Erik almost wishes that he had just let Charles talk about his stupid otters yesterday.

The rest of the school day passes by at an agonizingly slow pace. Erik keeps rereading the note, a little obsessively, and wondering what will happen once school is over. Normally he goes home with Charles since his mother will still be at work, but maybe Charles won't want to have him over. Erik isn't sure where he'll go if that's the case – maybe he'll just hide out at school, or figure out the bus. He doesn't want to ask, since it will give Charles another chance of not talking to him, so when the day ends, he starts to walk in a different direction than Charles.

Erik doesn't get too far, since he feels someone tug at his sleeve. He turns and sees Charles looking at him with mild confusion, brows knit together since he doesn't know where Erik is going, but he won't ask. Erik is tempted to keep walking away until Charles says something, though Charles then tugs insistently again until Erik is following him their usual way outside to where the Xaviers' driver awaits.

The afternoon at Charles' house is similarly awful, if not worse. Raven talks to them both, but Charles remains silent while Erik is around, even when Erik talks with Raven about things he knows Charles is interested in, hoping to draw Charles into the conversation despite his avowal. It doesn't work, and even if Erik is friends with Raven, too, it isn't the same without Charles.

For once, Erik is ready to go as soon as his mother shows up to take him home.

–

Erik has another night where he has trouble falling sleep, and he almost wants to fake being sick so he doesn't have to face Charles at school again. He wonders if that's cheating, and if Charles will just add on another day of not speaking to him.

–

The next morning Erik approaches Charles and before he takes his seat, he says, “It really was an accident, and the ocean would have destroyed it anyway, but I'm sorry that I knocked over your sandcastle.”

Charles gives him a surprised look, clearly not expecting this course of action. As far as apologies go, this is the first Erik has given in a while and meant. Charles doesn't seem sold quite yet, though, and since Erik doesn't want to suffer through another day of silence he continues, “Yesterday was awful. Start talking to me again. Please? I don't want you to end up hating me.”

Charles hesitates, but he gives Erik a concerned look. “I left you the second PS so you'd know I still loved you. I'd never hate you.”

Erik is immediately relieved and takes his seat, glancing at Charles. “You could if you decided you were mad enough, while you weren't speaking to me.”

“That won't ever happen,” Charles says, with enough conviction that Erik kind of believes him. “It really was difficult to not talk to you, especially when you tried to talk to Raven about dinosaurs,” he admits.

The fact that it was hard for Charles, too, makes Erik feel better. “The next time you're mad at me, can you just hit me or something? That would go a lot faster.”

Charles makes a face, and shakes his head. “I can't do that. Try to not make me angry again? Then we can avoid it altogether.”

“I'll try, but I can't promise I won't,” Erik says.

Charles gives him a small smile, and _that_ makes everything seem normal again. “That's close enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Translated into Chinese [here](http://www.movietvslash.com/thread-142891-1-1.html) by [Sealblue](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Sealblue/pseuds/Sealblue)!


End file.
